funbook-pk Chapter 35 The Imperial Seal is in hand! Will Cao Cao ultimately leave for Xingyang?
Chapter 35 The Imperial Seal is in hand! Will Cao Cao ultimately leave for Xingyang?
Xingyang is a small city that doesn't look particularly remarkable.
But this city is a fortress west of Luoyang.
"Does General Xu mean to take Xingyang to block the enemy?"
A playful glint flashed across Fan Chou's face.
Xu Rong nodded and said:
"exactly."
"If General Fan is unwilling to cover the rear, he may leave now."
If Xu Rong hadn't said that, Fan Chou might have left with his army a little while later.
But upon hearing Xu Rong speak, Fan Chou felt a strange and inexplicable anger rising within him.
"You savage from Liaodong! Who do you think you are?"
Xu Rong was born in Liaodong.
During the late Han Dynasty, transportation and communication between the Central Plains and Liaodong were not very developed.
Fan Chou's description of Xu Rong as a "wild man of Liaodong" is a typical example of "map-based criticism."
Xu Rong mocked:
"General Fan, do you mean to stay behind with me, Xu, to block any potential allied forces?"
"In that case, General Fan, please quickly prepare the troops and don't let them become a hindrance."
Fan Chou was furious!
As a direct descendant of the Western Liang, he was originally a "heavenly dragon" under Dong Zhuo.
Unlike the Luoyang Imperial Guards, which were treated like stepchildren, the Xiliang elite forces were top-notch in terms of both equipment and salary.
As a member of the Xiliang direct line, he was ridiculed by Xu Rong of the Luoyang Imperial Guard. What kind of nonsense is this?
"Bah! Since you are so ungrateful, I, the general, will accompany you to face the allied forces' pursuers."
"Let me make this clear from the start: if we lose, you will bear full responsibility!"
Although Fan Chou was provoked, he wasn't stupid.
He naturally intended to pass the blame to Xu Rong.
Xu Rong smiled faintly, his shoulders, though not particularly high, stood exceptionally firm at this moment.
Some people might wonder why the Xiliang direct descendants look down on Xu Rong and the Luoyang Imperial Guards so much.
Why did Xu Rong still follow Dong Zhuo?
the reason is simple.
Although Dong Zhuo treated them badly, he at least provided them with food and supplies.
If Xu Rong were to lead his 10,000 to 20,000 men to seize a mountain and become king.
Let's not even talk about whether Dong Zhuo will send troops to wipe them out.
The supply of provisions alone is a major problem.
and.
In any case, at this time, Dong Zhuo held Emperor Liu Xie in his hands, representing the imperial court and its troops.
This means that even if Xu Rong and the Luoyang Imperial Guards were doing poorly, at least they still had a formal position.
If we're really talking about who the traitors were, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others were more like traitors.
The minor friction between Xu Rong and Fan Chou did not take up too much time.
After burning Luoyang, they rushed towards Xingyang.
If the original historical course had been followed, Cao Cao would have encountered Xu Rong at Xingyang and suffered a major defeat, losing countless soldiers and generals.
But this time, with Su Yu's help, if Cao Cao were to lose again, it would be a huge disgrace!
……
"Lord!"
"A raging fire has broken out in the direction of Luoyang!"
Should we halt our advance?
Cao Ren rode up to Cao Cao's side and reported to him.
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao angrily rebuked:
"That heartless and insane old thief Dong Zhuo!"
How could he treat the capital of the Han Dynasty like this?
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and come with me to put out the fire!"
The generals in Cao Cao's camp suddenly realized what was going on.
But firefighting is no small matter.
Especially for a super-large city like Luoyang.
Despite Cao Jun's best efforts, he only managed to save a small section of the enemy.
Just as Cao Cao was about to continue ordering the firefighting efforts, Su Yu dissuaded him:
"My lord, let's not waste any more effort."
"The most urgent task is to pursue Dong Zhuo immediately."
"If I'm not mistaken, there must be an ambush in Xingyang."
"Why don't we go the other way and take the mountain path instead of going through Xingyang!"
"The mountain path is steep, but it can help avoid enemy ambushes."
"However, our soldiers need to rest first."
"If you don't have enough stamina, forcing a chase will only backfire."
Cao Cao listened to the advice very well and immediately nodded, saying:
"Send the order!"
"All soldiers shall rest in place."
Cao Cao's soldiers sat on the ground and cooked their meals.
Of the four directions surrounding Luoyang, Cao Cao's army only managed to rescue the northern city.
This was also Su Yu's request.
After the soldiers rested, Su Yu pulled Cao Cao along and headed towards the vicinity of the imperial palace in the northern city.
"My lord, why don't we order a search of the palace to see if any items have been left behind?"
Cao Cao thought to himself, "That makes perfect sense."
Dong Zhuo left in too much of a hurry.
Many things cannot necessarily be taken away in time.
The same is true.
Many of the eunuchs and palace maids in the imperial palace had the habit of hiding money.
In addition, the fire at the palace was not too big.
In a short time, quite a few pieces of gold and silver jewelry were found.
But these are not the things Su Yu is looking for.
Soon, he summoned Zhao Yun.
"Zilong, take the soldiers and go check out the well behind the palace."
"Here!"
Zhao Yun was completely obedient to Su Yu.
Soon, a series of exclamations came from behind the palace.
The soldier ran up quickly and reported to Cao Cao and Su Yu:
"My lord! Strategist!"
"A woman's corpse was found in the dry well."
Cao Cao frowned and said:
"A female corpse, what's there to say about that?"
The soldier, panting, said:
"The female corpse was holding a jade seal in her arms."
"That imperial seal...that imperial seal..."
"It might be the Imperial Seal of the State!"
"what!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao immediately became restless.
There are actually many types of imperial seals.
However, there was only one Imperial Seal of the State.
Where did this thing come from?
It was commissioned by Qin Shi Huang after he unified the six kingdoms to be made by the most skilled craftsmen in the Qin state.
After the Qin Dynasty fell, the Imperial Seal of the State was acquired by Liu Bang.
During the Western Han Dynasty, the Imperial Seal of the State was always regarded as the exclusive seal of the emperor.
It's not that this thing is valuable in monetary terms, but rather that it has exceptionally high spiritual value.
During Wang Mang's chaotic reign, the Imperial Seal of the State was lost.
Later, it was lost and then recovered during the Eastern Han Dynasty.
However, several years ago, the Imperial Seal of the State disappeared again.
To this day, the Imperial Seal of the State has never reappeared.
Cao Cao hurriedly led Su Yu to the rear of the palace.
The female corpse has been removed by the soldiers.
The Imperial Seal of the State was presented to Zhao Yun.
Looking at the jade seal with a missing corner, a look of longing appeared in Cao Cao's eyes.
Just as he was about to take the imperial seal, Su Yu slapped him on the shoulder!
"My lord, remember that your virtue does not match your position."
"This Imperial Seal should not be kept by the Lord now."
"Furthermore, information about the Imperial Seal must not be leaked."
"If this gets out, our lord will surely become the next person, after Dong Zhuo, to be besieged by all the warlords!"
Cao Cao was taken aback upon hearing this.
If it weren't for Su Yu, he would have almost become complacent!
Seeing that Cao Cao readily agreed, Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
In the original history, Sun Jian met with disaster soon after obtaining the Imperial Seal of the State.
But that was mainly because Sun Jian got carried away and the news leaked out.
But Su Yu is different.
He knew the importance of keeping a low profile and making a fortune quietly!
……